What type of screw in rocker arm stud should be used when guide plates are not being used? My heads are cut for screw in studs, but not set up for use with guideplates. I just bought a set of ARP 134-7101, which are supposed to be for typical small block applications. When I tried installing these, they did not seat against the underside of the hex portion, but came within 1/16", like they were for guideplate applications only. What is the deal, did I get the wrong studs? Thanks for the help, Dan
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Re: Rocker Arm Studs
get some 7/16" head bolt washers and install them with the studs instead of the guide plates -
Re: Rocker Arm Studs
Corvette engineers didn't see the need for guide plates at all. Are you racing at high RPMs?
Dale PearmanComment
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Re: Rocker Arm Studs
Dale-----
Corvette engineers of the C1 years didn't see the need for guide plates, but C2, C3, and C4 engineers did. ALL 65-74 Corvette big blocks used guide plates. 1970-72 LT-1 small blocks used them and 73-80 L-82 also used them.
Many C4s with aluminum cylinder heads used the guide plates, too. This continued until the self-guiding rocker arms were introduced about 1989, or so. After that, aluminum small block engines continued to receive what appeared to be guide plates, but they were not actually guide plates, at all. They were "pseudo guide plates" with larger slots that served as a PRODUCTION assembly aid only.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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I Didn't Know There
were any Corvettes OTHER than those of the C1 variety.
My hot rod driver uses guide plates and 7/16ths screw-ins because we chose some pretty stiff valve springs to go with the mechanical roller cam.
Dale.Comment
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Re: Rocker Arm Studs
The "engineers" must have gotten direction to use up inventory if they saw the need to put them on '73-'80 small blocks. Is there one that would wind up tight enough to need them?Comment
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warning on guide plates
if you change to stud mounted guide plates make sure you enlarge the orignal double"D" pushrod guide holes in the head or you will have a binding problem.the same is true if you change to self aligning rocker arms.Comment
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Re: Rocker Arm Studs
Mike-----
Well, if they had gotten the direction to use up the inventory of guide plates, they did not succeed. The guide plates are still available in SERVICE. So, the supply must have been huge and limitless.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: warning on guide plates
clem-----
If a change is made to the self-aligning rocker arms (all GM-supplied stamped steel rockers for small blocks are now of the guided variety and have been so for over 10 years), then guide plates should be removed. The GM PRODUCTION small blocks built with aluminum heads since the self-guiding rockers have been used have what I describe as "pseudo-guide plates". They are not really guide plates, but a PRODUCTION assembly aid. They are available in SERVICE, though.In Appreciation of John HinckleyComment
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Re: Rocker Arm Studs
Well, I guess once you make the decision to release it, you have to continue to service it. If you got a egr valve, lean carb, single pipe, catalytic converter, tcs, retarded cam, heated air intake, etc. etc, what in world would you need with guide plates to stabilize pushrods at high rpm? Or maybe the plates are for a different purpose?Comment
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Re: warning on guide plates
joe,i have run into a cases where some one has installed "self aligning" rocker on older engines with the double "D" pushrod guide hole in the head and wondered why they had a noisy valve train. most people do not know what "self alinging" means. they think they are the same as the old rockers but the older style is no longer available from GM only after market.Comment
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Re: warning on guide plates
Clem or Joe - I realize this discussion is on small block rockers and guideplates, if I order new big block X or H stamped rockers for my 66 L72 engine I am building, will they be the variety I am used to that use the BB guideplates? How are these newer SB rockers controlling rotational motion on stud....are they no longer using the circular ball appraoch? You can tell all I have seen are the old style, BB and SB alike...thx!...CraigComment
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Re: warning on guide plates
the rocker arm for adjustable valve lash on BBs is 12368082 these have the "H" stamped into them.this kit includes the ball and nut.Comment
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PS
for a complete set of 16 use part# 12368085Comment
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Re: PS/PS
the kit of 16 is available from www.flatlanderracing.com for $77Comment
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